ACT 1: ROSES
December, 2011.
Kung may tatanggalin si Tantan (16) na salita sa dictionary, ito ay ang salitang ''mag-hintay''. He never liked waiting for all the wrong reasons.
He looks up the night sky while scratching his head, halos bumaon ang mga daliri sa bunbunan out of frustration. He closed his eyes momentarily as he feels the cold air touching his face. He composes himself at taimtim na nagdasal: ''Lord aalis na ba ako? Hihintayin ko pa ba siya? Sabi niya 8pm sharp dito sa simbahan mag-kita. Anong gagawin ko? Ayoko naman maging talk shit kasi one-week kami nagplano at nag-ipon para dito''
He gets his answer when he felt something wet dropping on his face. He opens his eyes at nakita ang paunti-unting patak ng tubig galing langit. Kung hindi nga naman siya minamalas.
A buzzing and vibrating sound interrupts him. He gets it from his sling bag with the words printed in front ''Makati Medical City''. He opens his Nokia 3310 and reads another bad news na expired na daw ang gaan text niya.
Ibinulsa agad niya ang cellphone muttering something to himself and turned around. In front of him is the church filled with christmas lights and colorful decorations dangling everywhere, with people swarming like bees just to get inside.
''Para po sa maayos na flower offering, maari lamang pong pumila tayo ng maayos. Iwasan ho ang tulakan'', galing ito sa dalawang malalaking speaker sa pintuan ng simbahan. Gigil ang boses as if saying sasaktan na nito ang hindi sumunod sa kaniya.
''Sa mga nasa labas po pasok na po tayo. Bilis po. Hindi na po makakalabas ang ating mga ushers para maka-pamigay sa inyo ng rosas. Paki-bilis lang po.''
Tantan can feel a vast number of droplets from the sky touching his skin so he went inside the church para sumilong.
He is greeted by a wide entrance kung saan mas masikip dahil sa hindi magkamayaw na mga tao na pinag-aagawan ang rosas sa kamay ng isang usher.
Tantan can't see a thing, panay pwet at likod. It sucks to be small. He just wants to have a space of his own for the meantime but that's going to be impossible given the hundreds of bodies crashing onto his tiny body.
''Ouch! Yung paa mo kuya'' he exclaims as a random foot, steps on his.
Nagpumiglas siya but his space is getting smaller. The heat produced by different bodies started to burn his skin and perfumes of different kinds filled his lungs. To add nakaka-silaw ang chandeliers and wall lights.
It was hellish, nauseating.
Whenever something is bugging him, Tantan looks up, so he did.
There on the ceiling, beyond the chandeliers is his most favorite detail of the church. Printed for the Gods. The thick white line, almost resembling a ribbon connecting the immaculately painted ancient characters from the bible with each other. It almost looks like an opening sequence para sa isang mythology series.
Noong bagong lipat si Tantan dito sa Maynila dito siya unang dinala ng mga kaibigan. His friends told him na maganda ang view dito. They were pertaining sa mga lalaking sacristan which Tantan found to be true, but the real deal is the painting on the ceiling.
Dahil madalas sila ng mga kaibigan dito para mag sight-seeing alam ni Tantan na sa dulong bahagi ng simbahan malapit sa sacristy ay may isang pwesto kung saan wala masyadong tao. That's the goal, get there. He just needs to follow the thick white line above him.
As he concentrates bigla na lamang aalsa ang mga puting linya na siya lamang ang nakaka-kita. Sumasayaw sila like 3D Art papunta sa kaniya. Didikit ito sa kaniyang balat, pupuluputan siya like a dancing string.
Sa isang iglap magaan ang pakiramdam ni Tantan. Manhid at tila nakalutang ang sariling mga paa. The line, pushes and pulls him to every corner. He is directionless.
Just then the line stops moving and quickly went back to the ceiling. Mabigat na ulit ang mga paa ni Tantan. He can feel the marble floors beneath his white rubber shoes.
''Yung rose niyo po?'' a calm voice arises from somewhere.